Jani Leinonen
Pay-per-View is an installation that was Jani Leinonen’s final work from the Art Academy in Helsinki and that has been on display in several places, for instance in Plus Ultra Gallery in New York in 2002.
The installation consists of paintings that have been framed by a special frame with in-built slot machinery and a liquid-crystal frame glass. In a normal state the glass is opaque, enabling the visitor to see the painting. The paintings are each made of artists selected by Platform and Jani Leinonen; the artists include Fritz Jakobsson, Juha Tammenpää and Sami Lukkarinen, to name a few.
The artists’ names are carved on a copper plate within the frame. When the viewer sets a coin in the slot at the side of the frame, the glass turns transparent revealing the hidden painting for fifteen seconds. The different paintings have different prices determined by the artist’s position in the art field.
In the beginning of one show, fifteen seconds of Gerhard Richter cost 2 euros, while street artist Kalevi Tulla cost only 20 cents. Once viewers start using the works, the prices start following the laws of supply and demand: The more often the price is paid, the higher it gets and vice versa.